Divided Commission Leaves Property Tax Rate Unchanged

Boynton Beach — Despite opposition from two of its members, the City Commission on Wednesday gave final approval to a $44.3 million budget that keeps the same property tax rate.

Commissioner Ron Weiland and Mike Ferguson dissented.

Under the new budget, which takes effect Oct. 1, the tax rate will remain at $8.23 per $1,000 of taxable property value. That means that a homeowner with a house valued at $125,000 and a homestead exemption would pay $823 in taxes. Some homeowners may end up paying more in taxes next year, however, because of higher property values.

Ferguson, who opposed the tax rate, said he wanted to lower taxes for "when the hard times come," referring to recent attacks by terrorists.

Commissioner Charlie Fisher said the tax rate should remain the same rather than lowering it, precisely because of potential economic hardships. He said the city might not have enough revenue if the rate were lowered.

Weiland said he supported the tax rate but was not comfortable with the overall budget. In previous meetings, Weiland has criticized spending priorities and urged the commission to be more frugal.

The $44.3 million budget is $1.3 million more than the current budget, made possible by higher property values. For the first time in the city's history, the city manager has laid out a five-year financial plan to give the commission an idea of what to expect in the future.

Commissioner Mack McCray and Mayor Gerald Broening said the budget could always be adjusted and that they were not tied to that plan.

"I think the process we have now gives us a good handle on not only what we're going to do this year, [but also in the years to come]," Broening said. With the recent attacks on everybody's minds, City Manager Kurt Bressner said staff is doing an analysis of the city's security.